a nightmare that subconsciously seeps in
by RelapseAndEscape
Summary: Kurt's used to waking up & seeing Finn asleep on his floor on days where he's sad or scared. He doesn't expect to wake up to Finn sleeping in his & Blaine's house with bruises on his face & an infant daughter in a car seat sleeping beside him. Oneshot.


When Kurt wakes up that morning at six am to do his routine skin care regime that Saturday morning, he doesn't expect to find his brother asleep in supine position, mouth slightly hanging open and a trail of drool hitting the fluffy pink carpet that Finn's body's lying in.

Kurt goes downstairs and makes Finn a cup of black coffee, presuming that he's drunk and has landed his ass on his very uncomfortable-to-sleep in carpet, and then returns to the room, putting it on the table just in case Finn wakes up. He then proceeds to go through his skin-care routine as per normal, and when he hears the sound of Finn waking up, which Kurt presumes it's not biological but for the fact that his hair dryer accidentally falls and Finn's a light sleeper as compared to Kurt's heavy sleeping, which Blaine indicates that is so heavy that he's pretty sure that if Finn and Blaine were fucking in the same bed, Kurt wouldn't have woken up. Whereas Finn can actually wake up just by someone else waking up and stretching.

"Finn?" Kurt says, as he slips out of the bathroom, turquoise pyjamas with little drawing of white cats still adorning his figure. He gives Finn the cup of black coffee.

Finn stares at it. "Is this…like…dwarf piss?"

Kurt laughs because Finn doesn't recognise coffee that isn't full of milk, sugar and tonnes of whipped cream, as Kurt just shakes his head. "Finn, it's black coffee."

"I want sugar." Finn suddenly says, then his mind gets carried away in memory, forgetting the mug of black coffee in his hand, as Kurt takes in Finn's excitement with a bemused smile, 'and milk. And whipped cream…and oh, Blaine put cinnamon on mine once—it was really good!"

"Finn, black coffee's effective when you're hung-over—"

Finn raises an eyebrow and looks at him as if _he's_ the one that's hung-over. And to the look that Finn's giving him, Kurt then asks, "then what were you doing here sleeping on my carpet? Unless I am completely unaware that my carpet constitutes as a bed as well. That can't be comfortable, Finn."

Finn looks at him bashfully, a rosy tint to his face as he flusters and he puts down the mug of black coffee, intent on fixing it up later. "Had a nightmare," comes Finn's small reply and then Kurt's face completely and utterly softens as he sits down beside him, and watches Finn flush even more. To that, Kurt's arms are wrapped around Finn's upper body, and he presses his head against Finn's shoulder, who is just staring at the floor, looking aloof and tired. "You said if I was scared or sad, I can come to you and we can talk but it was really, really late, so I just fell asleep on the floor. It really helped though because I didn't have another nightmare."

Kurt finally relaxes. "What about?"

Finn tenses up in Kurt's arms. "My Dad," Finn's voice is soft, "like…when she told me he died of an overdose…I kept on seeing stuff like him shooting up cocaine or trying to sell me for heroin. It scared the hell out of me, Kurt. I thought…I know he was a good man, but I just…I don't _remember_…I don't remember him very well, just that I wanted a Father. You get…get me, right?" his voice is teary at the end, eyes full of pain as he fumbles on his words and Kurt slowly nods.

"Come on. I'll go make put on whipped cream, sugar and milk on your coffee to make you feel better," instantly, Finn grins, and Kurt knows that he can make Finn forget about stuff like that with just the little thing such as offering to make him coffee and Kurt leaves downstairs, skin-care regime forgotten until later when Finn asks Kurt to put cinnamon in his coffee, just like Blaine does, and Kurt laughs and complies, watching Finn graciously sip his cup of coffee, nightmares of being sold out for heroin and shooting up cocaine forgotten in the back of Finn's mind as the warmth coffee goes down his throat and he swears that he's safe.

* * *

Kurt isn't shocked the next time he finds Finn on the floor again when he wakes up from his unsettling sleep, but he is very disorientated by the fact that Finn's body's broken out in hives fully, and Kurt bites his lower lip as he sits down beside Finn, running his hand against Finn's cheek, and the angry redness that mars his skin. Finn slowly opens his eyes at the touch due to his very light sleeping and stares up at Kurt.

"I don't know what to do," Finn sounds slightly scared.

"Honey, you had an allergic reaction," Kurt tries to calm him down as he disappears downstairs, and doesn't notice it's four am only after he's back up and he catches a flash on the clock as he sits down next to Finn, and then Finn tries to explain himself.

"Blaine made me a peanut butter sandwich. It didn't want to say no because he was really happy and I didn't want him to be upset, because when he's upset, you're really upset too," Finn tries to explain and at the back of his mind, Kurt remembers Carole mentioning to Kurt that Finn has an allergy to various types of nuts. "_Peanuts and hazelnuts cause some sort of mild reaction, but it's the walnuts, almonds and cashews I'm worried about. Finn responds very negatively to those_." Kurt looks down at Finn's broken-out body and feels sick to think that this is a mild reaction, because Finn's skin is slightly feverish under his hand.

"Finn, honey," Kurt begins. "If you're allergic to something, tell Blaine, and he won't get angry. I promise. Blaine's really sweet."

Finn slowly nods his head, to give Kurt an inkling suggesting that he understands as Kurt presses up the cream that Carole tells him is for when Finn has such mild reactions. Kurt watches Finn slowly relax under the cold cream touching his face and Kurt realises it must feel nice, remembering how he loves pouring the cold lotion on his dry skin. "Thanks, Kurt."

The next time that Finn does it, Kurt's already laid out a mattress in the room just for that occasions because the thought of his brother on the carpet makes him unease, knowing how uncomfortable it must be like for Finn's back. He finds Finn there, upset about his break-up with Rachael and Kurt sits down and cajoles with him and sometimes, he even makes him a mug of warm milk late at night. The last one Kurt remembers is just before he leaves for NYADA where he's sitting there, saying that he doesn't want Kurt to leave, that he's scared of being all by himself in Ohio, and Kurt promises that he'll call and text him and visit during the holidays and after a good three hours of cajoling, Finn does finally fall asleep on that mattress next to a mug of warm milk.

Kurt sees Finn again in Christmas, saying that he's back to stay in Ohio for good, that NYADA isn't the school for him, and also mentions something about just not doing anything for a year, just for him, just so he can breathe and then whilst grabbing a handful of caramel popcorn, he grins whilst Blaine stands there, laughing and drinking apple cider. He stops for a minute and tells Kurt to come help him with his bowtie. "_You_ need help with your bowtie?" Kurt's eyes are locked with Blaine's own, because that's the worst statement he's heard, knowing that it's the equivalent of Puck asking Kurt for sex tips, or Finn saying he needs help learning all the plays in football.

"I've only got one operable hand," Blaine flushes now, realising how his impossible his statement is even with his broken hand as Kurt walks towards him, and Blaine tells him to tie his bowtie because it's really loose and Blaine can't tighten it with a broken hand. Kurt nods and then proceeds to take off Blaine's tie, but however, Blaine grabs him with both of his hands and then twirls him around in a second. The bow-tie is open and in the mist of satin fabric, Kurt's amazed to find an engagement ring. The rest of the night is made out of beautiful magic as Kurt gushes about the size of his ring to Rachael.

On New Years' Eve, Finn announces that Rachael's pregnant and has been ever since that night in Christmas, but nobody looks excited, knowing that Rachael's so far away and Finn looks like he's scared of the same thing. That's the first night in a long time Kurt wakes up the next morning with a small good morning text from Blaine and Finn on the ground, saying that he's scared for the baby and that he really wants to be there with Rachael. All Kurt can do is try to reinforce the idea that Finn _can_ do this. Finn just looks scared, as if Kurt's playing with him, as if it can never be alright. Kurt gives him an emergency key to his and Blaine's house and tells him that if he needs anything, he can always come to him. Finn just nods and stares at the key as if it's really his new-born child other than just a small insignificant key, to Finn it's a promise that he has _somewhere_ to turn to.

Kurt doesn't have Finn sleep in his room anymore after the marriage, and he doesn't really hear from Finn in a long time. He wakes up with Blaine's arms around his waist protectively and his head buried into Kurt's shoulder. They're well into marriage when Rachael and Finn divorce. Rachael lets Finn keep their daughter, and Kurt knows it's because Rachael's going after stardom and he knows that, just like Shelby, she's going to want her daughter back later. Kurt had wanted to remind her that that baby girl is going to grow up just like her, needing a Mother, but Finn had begged him not to, telling him that if Rachael takes back their daughter, Finn has nothing.

So when Kurt finds Finn in the house again, it scares him. It scares him because he knows that Finn won't interrupt him because he's slightly scared of upsetting Blaine (he'd eaten a peanut butter sandwich just to keep him happy when he knows he's allergic to all types of nuts) and this causes Kurt to crouch down before him. Blaine wakes up, and Kurt wants to cry, because Blaine's just as light of a sleeper as Finn is, as he stares horrifically at the large blue-and-purple bruises that mar Finn's skin, and then there's the car seat of a child cradling Finn's infant daughter that causes Kurt to bite his lower lip, because if he makes a sound, Finn will wake up, but it fails because Kurt's erratic breathing causes Finn to wake up, as he stares up at him with sad eyes.

"She's a heavy sleeper, like you…and Rachael," Finn tries to explain in a really soft voice, biting at his lower lip.

"Finn, your face is covered in bruises," Kurt tries to reason with him, voice shaky.

Finn nods his head slowly. "Yeah, I know," his voice is slightly shaky at the end. "I'm sorry…you and Blaine—"

"It's okay," Blaine assures him with a soft smile.

"Remember what started this? The nightmare…the nightmare that…that my Dad was doing cocaine…or heroin or…?" Finn's voice is soft and Kurt slowly nods his head, feeling something pinch at his stomach, telling him that he won't like what he's about to hear as Finn takes a deep breath and explains. "Rachael was saying goodbye to Drizzle, and we were gonna part, but then Rachael tells me to meet her new boyfriend, and I say yes, but the problem is her new boyfriend…Alex, or something, is a junkie. I saw him snorting cocaine and I told Rachael and she just called me really jealous and she's still really shaken up, because I'm gonna take our daughter away even if I tell her that she can visit Drizzle whenever she wants…anyway, Alex is trying to get me to snort with him and I told him that I shouldn't because I had a kid. He was so high that he came after me running and punched me in my face and stuff and when I said no for the last time, I took Drizzle and just got into the car and _drove_. Rachael calls me about an hour later and tells me she found out that Alex really was doing coke. She told me to drive really far away with Drizzle, that I should take care of our baby…I…" Finn's eyes are full of tears now. "I came here. Because you…you said I can…I'm so sorry, Kurt—"

"Finn," Kurt cuts in the middle of what he's saying.

"I just want to protect her, Kurt, like you protect me," Finn tries to explain and Kurt's stunned as he stares at him as he pulls him closer. "I am so sorry, Kurt."

"It's okay," Kurt tries to assure him. "You'll never be like that, Finn. I swear. I know. You're not a drug addict and never will be and Drizzle has a great Father. You're gonna be amazing to her, Finn—so amazing," and by the end, he has tears in his own eyes.

Blaine suddenly cuts into the conversation with a soothing voice. "You'd do anything to make her happy…Kurt told me that you were allergic to nuts and I realised that you ate the sandwich for me. You'd do anything to keep her happy, I assure you," Blaine's voice is so warm that it makes Finn smile at Blaine as he looks at his daughter and then pulls her out of the car seat when she starts crying.

Finn stares at Kurt, tear-tracks still on his face as he smiles. "We're gonna be staying awake a lot…Drizzle cries a whole lot, and she wakes up all the time," Finn doesn't sound like he minds though, as he stares down at his jewel, with those big doe brown eyes staring back at Finn. "So…coffee to stay awake? Sugar, whipped cream, and milk?"

"And cinnamon," Kurt and Blaine say in unison, causing them to look at each other and grin towards each other. When Blaine and Kurt leave, they return to find Finn rocking Drizzle back and forth, eyes onto the ground. "…no drugs, no drugs….I'll never, ever be like my Dad, not like that…never like that, okay? I'm gonna be as brave as he is in the war, and I'm not gonna back down. I'm not gonna have an overdose and you'll always have a Daddy…I've got you, Drizzle," there's a faint smile at Kurt's lips that mirrors Finn's smile as Drizzle falls asleep in his arms.

The next time that Kurt sees Finn on the floor is cradling a six-year-old Drizzle. When she wakes up, Kurt recognises the hives on her face, as Drizzle says she hadn't wanted to upset Uncle Blainey when he's given her a peanut butter sandwich. "Drizzle, honey," Finn begins. "If you're allergic to something, tell Blaine, and he won't get angry. I promise. Blaine's really sweet."

Blaine just sighs and runs his hand through his loose curls. "I am _never_ serving anyone peanut butter again in my life…"

At the far end of the room, Kurt smiles at the display in front of him, and the next time Finn sees Drizzle on the floor, asleep,, is when he walks into her room and finds the table full of used tea-party sets and Kurt asleep with Drizzle on his shoulder.


End file.
